Linear guide mechanisms, also known as linear guide systems, are used for literally thousands of applications. Some of the most basic applications are found in conventional furniture drawers wherein the linear guide mechanism is the mechanism upon which a drawer slides relative to the desk, countertop, or the like. In addition to such furniture applications, linear guide mechanisms are used in a number of industrial settings, particularly in conjunction with machine tools. Very often a machine bed will need to slide axially back and forth as the machine operation is performed.
With regard to the machine tool application, particularly, the linear guide mechanism may need to be manufactured to move along an axis with practically no play or deflection away from the axis of the linear slide. Any such play or movement would necessarily detrimentally affect the machining operation in that the machining operation is typically computer controlled, and any movement in the linear slide mechanism would therefore result in misalignment of the machine tool and the work piece.
With that background, attempts have been made to provide linear guide systems that include carriages or slide bodies that include guide wheels that can be adjustably positioned relative thereto to compensate for play or wear as well as to allow for broader tolerances during manufacture. More particularly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,149,308 and 6,450,687, both entitled “Linear Rail System Having Preload Adjustment Apparatus,” and assigned to Pacific Bearing Company, the Assignee of the instant application, illustrate carriage bodies that have a plurality of guide rollers mounted thereto. At least one of the guide rollers is adjustable relative to the other guide rollers so as to allow mechanical adjustment of preloading of the rollers against a guide rail or to remove any play between the rollers and the corresponding guide rail. In these embodiments, the guide wheel or roller is mounted to an adjustment block that is linearly positioned relative to the slider or carriage body by linearly adjusting the position of a pair of set screw or other stop mechanism. The set screws are used to lock the position of the adjustment block relative to the carriage body once positioned in the desired location relative to the guide carriage.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,661,431 and 7,350,270 illustrate an additional means for providing adjustment of a guide wheel relative to a carriage or slider body. More particularly, these patents disclose a guide wheel assembly that includes a journal body that includes a mounting axis about which the journal body rotates as the guide wheel assembly is mounted to a carriage or slider body. The journal body also defines a guide wheel support axis about which the guide wheel rotates relative to the journal body. The guide wheel support axis and the mounting axis are parallel and offset from one another such that rotation of the journal body about the mounting axis will adjust the relative position of the guide wheel support axis. Thus, by rotating the journal body relative to the carriage body or slider block to which it is mounted the guide wheel can be adjusted to position it closer or farther from a guide rail.
The present invention relates to improvements over the current state of the art.